Feb 1, 2019

I'm a Beauty Editor, and These Are the Easy Hairstyles I Wear on Repeat

by Amanda Montell

I may write about beauty for a living, but I'm in no way someone who enjoys spending a ton of time on her own look. That's especially true when it comes to hair (which is why I decided to cut a whole lot of mine off about three years ago, and I've been living my best lob life ever since). My hair mood is sort of this balance between looking put-together enough that no one can tell I only wash this mop about twice a week but also effortless and relaxed. Think French-girl-meets-California-girl vibes (at least that's what I'm going for).

I'm also deeply impatient and only have so many hair skills in my toolbox, so ultimately, when it comes to my everyday hairstyles, I consistently rely on about seven looks, which I switch up depending on the amount of time on my hands and the level of grease I'm working with. Regardless, each of the following hairstyles (which would also work on long hair!), takes no longer than 10 minutes to execute on my straight, fine hair. Keep scrolling to see a lazy beauty editor's seven favorite everyday hairstyles.

Photo:

Amanda Montell

When my hair is on the cleaner(ish) end, this style is a signature move. I create these little waves with a flat iron by taking one-inch-thick sections of hair, and about half-way down the shaft, bending the iron in, then out, and then back in again at the ends. Add a little hair accessory or two to one side, and within five to seven minutes, you have a surprisingly legit hairstyle.

Photo:

Amanda Montell

Don't let this image fool you—I'm generally terrible at braids. This is straight-up the *only* one I can do. This is a Dutch braid, which is like an inside-out French braid (here's a really great easy tutorial to follow), which I create on both sides of my head until I get lazy and then switch to a regular braid until I reach the back of my head. Then I either pin down the ends or secure them into little pigtails or a low pony. Then I yank on the loops of the braid to make them nice and fat, and pull out a few face-framing tendrils in front. This hairstyle works great to hide dirty hair, but you could also totally wear it to a formal event, especially if you dress it up with some flowers or a hair accessory in back. It actually holds better with some grit and dirtiness, so if my hair happens to be clean, I'll spray it with some of this Drybar's Triple Sec shown below. (But good old dry Shampoo works too!)

This look probably requires the most time of any on this list. To execute, I start by clipping up half of my hair. Then I use a one-inch-barrel curling iron to curl small sections of hair away from my face, making sure to leave the ends free. Once I've curled the lower section of hair, I part my hair where I want it, let down the hair I clipped up, and repeat. I finish off with some texture spray and medium-hold hairspray (Living Proof's is adjustable!), and voila—I'm an adult who did a thing to her hair.